Having read Matthew Kirschenbaum’s book about writers and word processors, I think it’s more accurate to say that Jerry Pournelle was one of the first three people to use a word processor, and we’ll never be sure who was first. But his importance in computing history should be noted.

“Having read Matthew Kirschenbaum’s book about writers and word processors, I think it’s more accurate to say that Jerry Pournelle was one of the first three people to use a word processor, and we’ll never be sure who was first.”

I’m pretty sure he was nowhere near the first three people to use a word processor, unless you want to rephrase it as “non-computer scientist to use a commercial dedicated word processor to write a commercially sold science fiction novel” or similar. I mean, I wrote a user manual for a Software Engineering term project in 1981 via computer text processor, and UNC-CH was several years behind places like MIT and Stanford at doing that sort of thing.

I’m sad he’s passed away, as I’m sad when anyone passes away, but really, nobody wants to mention the horrific racism in Lucifer’s Hammer? Or that he was a climate change denier and a Trump supporter and created a circle of hell in his Inferno sequel especially for Rachel Carson?

No, rochrist, no one wants to talk about those things right now, when someone who was a significant writer in our field, a major fan, and a friend to many has just died and we are mourning his passing.

Those things are utterly appropriate for discussion–but not right here, at this particular moment. It’s called decency and respect, and not just for the person who has died.

rochrist: I wasn’t that sensitive to the racism in Lucifer’s Hammer when I read it decades ago, so that’s on me. Whether man made climate change is a fact, the proposed solutions lead to a vast transfer of political authority, and I think people get to express those opinions about all of that in a democracy. As for writing a fictional book in which Rachel Carson winds up in Dante’s Hell, that’s pretty mild stuff in my view.

A big chunk of Dr. Pournelle’s fiction wasn’t for me, but I read his columns (sometimes with my hair on fire) and I have an abiding fondness for the There Will Be War books. Also, he really was a giant.

Pournelle got a nice Honorary Unsubscribe (an obituary for people who made a difference in the world but are generally not well-known) from “This is True” publisher Randy Cassingham, a fellow former JPL employee.

(This is True is a terrific weekly e-newsletter of weird but true short news stories.)